Dark mountains Hold
The Dark mountains is one of the largest holds in terms of both geographical and demographic size with a population of four hundred million and a land mass of roughly six million square miles. It is also the wealthiest of all the holds and the most powerful as the Imperial diet, the Imperial palace, the Imperial judicial court and the Imperial banks are all located in its capital of white mountain were roughly ten percent of the population live. It borders Yaladar to the west, the land of eternal winters to the north and Reindeerhold and Ravenhold to the east and the south. It also has a large coast going onto the Mirkuleon sea giving in importance in trading. It was originally ruled in the first era by various Mirkuleon tribal groups who lived as nomads travelling across the mountains occasionally trading and warring with each other. The strongest of these tribes were the Wolfborn clan which later became the most numerous and dominant clan of the region. The Wolfborns would later in 16000BV join the Clan confederacy attaining the position of Clan treasurer due to their large wealth. During the Eternal war the Wolfborn army committed the most soldiers to the war due to their borders with the Udroin Kingdoms in what is the now part of Yaladar and the northern Darkmountains. After the Mirkuleon victory over the Udroins, the Mirkuleon empire was founded and the clan confederacy chose its President Kevousalar of clan bearborn. The capital was chosen to be white mountain the traditional seat of the Wolfborns which was given to Kevousalar and his clan thus the Wolborns lost most of their power but retained the title of Cheiftain. Auchdratiokie the Wolfborn cheiftain usurped the throne by having Kevousalar arrested and most of his immeditate family executed. Kevousalar escaped and fled to Elderhold were he and the eagleborn cheiftian joined forces thus starting the first Mirkuleon civil war. The Bearborn-Eagleborn victory led to the genocide of clan wolfborn and title of Cheiftain of the Darkmountains to clan Montgard-Lionborn. The Darkmountains along with lands from Reindeerhold and Ravenhold along with Yaladar and the western part of the land of eternal winters became the Mirkuleon commonwealth after the down fall of the first Mirkuleon Empire. The commonwealth rivalled the kingdom of Elderhold during most of the seventh era and the two states fought in various wars and went into a quasi cold war from 1630 to 1850. From 1850 and to 1870, the grand war happened wihch saw Elderhold conquer the commonwealth and form the second mirkuleon empire Etymology The Dark mountains hold is named after the region it is in the Darkmountains. The Dark mountains are mostly dark and black in colour and the region is heavy in fog however snow often covers the blackness of the mountain and the capital of white mountain is made of rock which is said to be a dazzling white which during summer can be uncomfortable to look at. Geography Dark mountains is very large as it is the size of six million square miles, it is larger than sovering nations such as Freeland, Salsia etc however it is smaller than the Toch Socialist Republics which it borders. It is located in the Northern central lands and its mountainous nature provides a border against the TSR, Plaautania, Pfvarchia and Durgia. Various rivers and lochs originate and are located in the Dark mountains as it produces some of the best quality spring and mountain water, roughly sixty percent of all water consumed in Durgia is controlled by the Dark mountains. Wildlife The Dark mountains is home to various wild life most numerous being brown bears, Tako (ape like beings who rather than climbing trees are suited to climbing mountains) along with Aqatases (large ostrich type birds which are able to fly and climb mountains), grey lions also inhabit the region. Various species of fresh fish live in the lochs and fjords which proved food to many of the inhabitants, eagles and other birds of prey also inhabit the mountains as well. Goverment and politics The Dark mountains became a hold of the Mirkuleon Empire in 1870 and its own constitution was written in 1872, this consitution is part of the wider Imperial consitution. The hold consitution is therefore subordinate to the Imperial consitution and thus the Cheiftain cannot bring in laws to the consitution which contradict the Imperial constiution Excutive The Dark Mountains like all other holds is essentially an absloute monarchy as its head of state and head of goverment is its hereditary cheiftain. The Cheiftain has various powers both from tradition such as being able to conduct state and public religious rites, giving titles and knighthoods however he also has defined rights which are part of the consitution such as the ability to levy taxes and to command his military although this is done at whim of the Emperor.The cheiftain also approves and vetoes bills created by the Cheiftain's bench, the cheiftain can also propose laws and have them pushed through the cheiftain's bench. Legislature The Cheiftain's bench is the legislative advisory council to the Cheiftain it is formed up of various lawyers, nobles and land owning military officers and judges picked by the Cheiftain to create legislature its powers are subordinated to the Cheiftain and to the Imperial diet which can both overall its laws. The Cheiftain's bench may be called and dissolved at any time on the whim of the Cheiftain. the numbers on the bench never really go past fourty. Counties Counties are used as seats in the Imperial diet, the Dark Mountains has 464 counties giving it the largest amount of counties than anywhere else in the empire which is more than half of the total amount of remaining counties outside the Dark Mountains. Smaqatland comes in second with roughly with 458 counties thus making up the bulk of non dark mountains counties. This gives the Dark mountains an important role in Imperial elections which are held every ten years. Parties tend to focus in the Dark Mountains and often Dietary members tend to pass laws favouring the dark mountains which are wealthier and fairly industrial for example tariffs on foreign goods to protect dark mountains industry and investing millions into various industries. Dark Mountains Legion The Dark Mountains legion is the hold military forces of the Dark Mountains, it is under the command of the Cheiftain whom takes the rank of Supreme Legionnary marshal. Consitutionally the legion is semi independent from the imperial goverment as people from other holds cannot be conscripted into it like all of other legions. However the legion can only be mobilised for war under the Emperor's command because it is only the Emperor who can declare war. The cheiftain may however use the legion if the dark mountains are attacked directly. The Legion consists of the Dark Mountains imperial legion army, dark mountains imperial legion surface fleet, dark mountains imperial legion submarine fleet, the dark mountains imperial legion air force, dark mountains imperial legion coast and air guard and the Dark Mountains imperial legion strategic missile force. The oldest branches are the army and the navy which were formed from the previous commonwealth army and navy in 1870 whilst the submariner fleet were created in 1899 and the airforce was created in 1900 whilst the strategic missile force was created in 1940. Dark Mountains imperial legion army